In public facilities, such as hospitals and office buildings, maintenance personnel may be required to change light bulbs daily. A common florescent light fixture has four bulbs that typically are two, three, or four feet long. To change the light bulbs, the maintenance person must bring the replacement bulbs to the light fixture and often must bring a ladder to be able to reach the bulbs in the light fixture.
Carts can be used to bring the replacement bulbs and ladder to the light fixture. Such carts can be handmade or modifications of a utility cart designed for another application. For example, maintenance personnel may attach a vertically oriented ladder to the front of a utility cart or may attach a horizontally oriented ladder to a side of the utility cart. There are problems associated with using a conventional utility cart to carry the ladder in this manner.
A ladder carried on a utility cart can be prone to impacting and damaging walls. The ladder can project beyond the footprint of the cart. Consequently, the ladder is more likely to contact items, such as walls, while the cart is being moved.
A ladder carried on a utility cart can be prone to falling off of the cart. The utility cart is not designed to carry the ladder and consequently the ladder may not be sufficiently secure. When the cart is subjected to impact, e.g., it passes over a threshold or something bumps into the cart, the ladder may fall off the cart.
A utility cart carrying a ladder can be difficult to maneuver. A utility carts is often long, which makes it difficult to maneuver in hallways and around room obstacles. Furthermore, the ladder can increase the overall footprint of the cart, thus further decreasing the cart's maneuverability.
A utility cart used to carry light bulbs and a ladder may lack desired capacity, organization, and security. A conventional utility cart may not have enough shelf space to carry needed items, such as bulbs (it may be desirable to carry a variety of bulbs), tools, supplies, and business related materials. The cart may include shelves for carrying items, but the shelves may not be conducive to organization of the items. Additionally, the cart may not provide desired security because the shelves are often open, i.e., they are not fully enclosed.
Additionally, utility carts can be an eyesore in a public space. This is particularly true for a cart that is handmade or modified to accommodate light bulbs and a ladder.
A two-wheeled cart has been proposed that is designed to carry bulbs and a ladder. A two-wheeled cart can be more difficult to maneuver than a cart having three or more wheels. Moreover, the two-wheeled cart suffers from at least some of the issues mentioned above.
A four-wheeled cart has been proposed that is designed to carry bulbs and a relatively small ladder. The cart suffers from at least some of the issues mentioned above.